The Mid-Engined Mustang Might Still Exist

[NegativeMultiplier]

I've been piecing together some bits of information on my own over the last few days, given it some thought, and reached two points that caused me to open this thread.

First and foremost, massive rumors of something wild in development, from what I've seen over the years, usually have some truth to them. Look at the C8 for example. People had been saying for a few years prior to the first spy shots that a mid-engine Corvette was in the works, and those rumors only intensified as the shots began rolling. I don't think that someone would just up and say that there is a mid-engine 'Stang on the way without there being some level of truth to it. Someone else on here mentioned it themselves that Ford has been benchmarking the C8 as of late. For what reason would they need to emulate any of the C8's components?

Secondly, I just finished watching Shmee's video and he mentions a few interesting things - the first of which he notes that the event is taking place in California (TS 1:15). The rumors explicitly stated that the private launch of the mid-engine project took place in Las Vegas, so unless he said that by mistake, I find this detail a bit interesting. The next thing he says towards the end of the video is that there's another Ford "Shmeemobile" coming that he hasn't talked about yet (TS 12:35). I do not see someone of his financial calibre buying a Lincoln and publicly announcing so, and there isn't anything being produced in the near future, that we're aware of at the moment, in Ford's lineup that's a high-performance car. He also already has a GT500, and I doubt he'll replace the one he already has any time soon, assuming there is another one on the way. This statement also by nature crosses out the GTD, as he's actively talking about possibly buying one in the near future earlier. You can watch his video and jump to the above timestamps here:

I'm going to put my tinfoil hat on here and say that Ford, in their incredibly and surprisingly wide internet presence, was aware of the mid-engine Mustang leak, and potentially had someone leak the GTD to take eyes off of whatever mid-engine basement project they have going on. And it sure as hell worked - outside of this forum, every discussion about a mid-engine Mustang has either ceased or is assuming for some reason that the GTD is mid-engine. We're the only ones differentiating the two anymore.

What do you guys think?

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[LCDRChemEng]

I don't have the links, but I read some time ago that Ford was testing a prototype AWD mustang, front engined. The same article observed that Ford had done extensive research into a hybrid Mustang, with electric motors from the Mark E turning the front wheels and a coyote powering the rear.

We also know Ford already has experience with Mid engine cars like the GT. They have experience with dual clutch transmissions (DCT) with the GT500 Tremec - Tremec also makes a DCT transaxle for the C8. Bottom line, it does not present a hurdle of engineering for Ford to come out with a mustang looking unibody or semi-monocoque with a Coyote or Predator in the back tied to a Tremec DCT transaxle and electric motors in front to get out of the hole and prevent those ponies in the back from going up in rubber smoke.

So what's stopping them? I surmise there are two main reasons:
1) it does take quite a bit of time and effort to mate an engine to a DCT. Suffice to say, if one were to privately develop the aforementioned monster, one would not find an off-the-shelf DCT for it (I tried). Also, although it is not necessary to coordinate the power output of the front and back, there is a certain amount of development needed to integrate both with a single throttle-by-wire system. The bean counters may have determined that the market is not there to offset the development costs.
2) Ever since the mid 60s Ford has meekly allowed GM to remain King of the Hill. Ford has been content to slug it out with the Camaron and Challenger/Charger for the privilege of being 1st loser to the Corvette. One would surmise that the aforementioned World stomping Mustang could be mass produced in the vicinity of $100k, easily with is the range of any C8, Porsche, or even Ferrari buyer. But apparently the brain trust at Ford thinks its better for business to only produce Halo cars that nobody is allowed to buy except the very few connected pricks.

Lastly, I am aware that there is a rather vociferous cabal of grouchy curmudgeons out there that will harumph at the idea of a Mustang with newfangled gimmicks that doesn't look like its wearing tube socks. To those people I hurl the immortal words of the great philosopher Dominic Torreto: "winning is winning." If that's not enough, then I don't care.

 

[agreywolfe]

I don't have the links, but I read some time ago that Ford was testing a prototype AWD mustang, front engined. The same article observed that Ford had done extensive research into a hybrid Mustang, with electric motors from the Mark E turning the front wheels and a coyote powering the rear.

We also know Ford already has experience with Mid engine cars like the GT. They have experience with dual clutch transmissions (DCT) with the GT500 Tremec - Tremec also makes a DCT transaxle for the C8. Bottom line, it does not present a hurdle of engineering for Ford to come out with a mustang looking unibody or semi-monocoque with a Coyote or Predator in the back tied to a Tremec DCT transaxle and electric motors in front to get out of the hole and prevent those ponies in the back from going up in rubber smoke.

So what's stopping them? I surmise there are two main reasons:
1) it does take quite a bit of time and effort to mate an engine to a DCT. Suffice to say, if one were to privately develop the aforementioned monster, one would not find an off-the-shelf DCT for it (I tried). Also, although it is not necessary to coordinate the power output of the front and back, there is a certain amount of development needed to integrate both with a single throttle-by-wire system. The bean counters may have determined that the market is not there to offset the development costs.
2) Ever since the mid 60s Ford has meekly allowed GM to remain King of the Hill. Ford has been content to slug it out with the Camaron and Challenger/Charger for the privilege of being 1st loser to the Corvette. One would surmise that the aforementioned World stomping Mustang could be mass produced in the vicinity of $100k, easily with is the range of any C8, Porsche, or even Ferrari buyer. But apparently the brain trust at Ford thinks its better for business to only produce Halo cars that nobody is allowed to buy except the very few connected pricks.

Lastly, I am aware that there is a rather vociferous cabal of grouchy curmudgeons out there that will harumph at the idea of a Mustang with newfangled gimmicks that doesn't look like its wearing tube socks. To those people I hurl the immortal words of the great philosopher Dominic Torreto: "winning is winning." If that's not enough, then I don't care.

i see it the other way around. Corvette is the loser in Chevy, Ford, and Dodges decades long race to the bottom to get the cheapest performance car in the hands of the average American. its why Corvette is seen mainly as a "mid-life crisis mobile" when compared to the likes of the Mustang, Camaro, and Challenger/Charger. So to me here it makes perfect sense that when ford went to make the most bonkers Mustang they could, that price wasnt the major consideration here so they could afford to do things that not even the Z06 can afford to do, like a carbon fiber body, chassis mounted active aero, race spec suspension from Multimatic, the people that made the 2016 GT, and the current GT3. The Ford GT and now the GTD are set very far apart as "race cars for the road" vs the Corvettes "road car that goes racing"

 

[LCDRChemEng]

Sorry Wolf, the GT and the GTD are perfect examples of cars that the average Joe Blow Schmuckatelli will never get their hands on. I couldn't care less for those show horses.

My point is Ford is just not trying to beat GM in the category of "road car for racing," which is where the Stingrays are perched looking down at the Mustang below and where us commoners are active.

I never liked GM and would not ever be found buying a Corvette, but the truth is it will outrun even the mighty Shelby GT500 on both the track and the drag strip. Ford could answer with a mid-engined hybrid that could show its heels at anything south of a Koenigsegg, but won't. That's all I'm saying.

 

[agreywolfe]

i understand your point here, obviously the average Mustang will pretty much never beat the average Corvette on the track, but ultimately i dont think thats what Ford cares about with the Mustang, end of the day the Mustang is miles ahead of the Corvette in the area that actually matters, sales. The difference between the two isnt really as big as you make it sound either, a GT500 can hold its own vs a similarly priced C8 with both capable of running mid 7 minute nurb times and only 2/10ths separated on the 1/4 mile.

 

[VaporGT]

The 300k $ Mustang GTD will remain the ultimate mustang for quite some time. the GTD has reach a 50-50 weight distribution between the front and rear wheels which is the main goal of mid-engined cars.

Honestly I think there's more chance of seeing an electric mustang than a mid-engine mustang in thé futur. If Ford ever releases a mid-engine car I don't think it will be Under the S650 Mustang platform.

 

[DeluxeStang]

As one of the biggest supporters of a mid engine stang IDK, my faith is starting to waver. The GTD is the mustang supercar. I don't know why someone would lie about there being a mid engine stang, there's nothing to gain from it, nor do I understand how someone would misinterpret the GTD as being mid engine, but I think someone screwed up. Maybe Ford is testing c8s for the gt 500.

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